Economy pushes China, Taiwan to cooperate

BEIJING, June 19 (UPI) -- Mainland China will focus on cultural and economic cooperation with Taiwan, a visiting Chinese official in San Francisco said Friday.

Wang Yi, Head of the Taiwanese Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council, said China will focus on cooperative measures in part to help each other work through the global financial downturn, Xinhua reported.

Wang said Taiwan and China should follow the guideline of solving the easier issues between the two first, a way to foster trust. He also said both sides should work together with the understanding they are both part of the same country.

China and Taiwan should "gather the common," while they "resolve the differences," he said.